Freight-car



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lC. MAGKALL.

FREIGHT GAR.

' PatentedApr. so, .1889.

Fig'. 2. I

FREIGHT GAB.;-

PatentedApr. 30, 1889.

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and one that is either.

'UNITED STATES 'PATENT y OFFICE.

CHARLES MACKALL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

vFREIGHT-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,174, dated April 30, 1889.

' Application filed February 18, 1839. Serial No. 300,313. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES MACKALL, a

. citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city o f Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Freight-Cars, of which the following is a full and complete specification.

My invention relates to that class of cars which are used for the transportation of coal; but I have by my invention so changed the car generally in use as to adaptA it to carry both coal and grain or other perishable goods with the same facility that they can be loaded, carried, and unloaded from the cars now in use for this purpose. I thus accomplish great `advantage of being able to use the same car for the transportation of both coal and grain peculiarly adapted to carry To tran sport either coal or grain economically it mustrbe done in a car into which they can be loaded from a chute, and which can be unloaded. without handling them and when grain is carried itfmust during transportation be covered and thoroughly pro tected from the weather. All of these require ments I accomplish by my improved car. l

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my car, showing one of the hoppers raised up and in position to shoot its contents out of the bottoni into the side of the track. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of my carin the same position shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the car, taken through one of the hoppers,and showing the chute in position to deliver coal at the side of `the track. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the hoisting mechanism by which the hopper is raised above the frame. Fig. 5 isa detail view of the gate mechanism by which the outlet in the bottom of the car is opened and closed.

clined sidesof the cover are provided with sliding doors 26 26, which cover openings 27 .be suspended under the hopper, but on the side of the outlet. XVhen not in use, this chute lies in its keepers 10, but maybe withdrawn and hung from the loops 11 when needed.

I Will now describe thc mechanism by which the hoppers are raised. Set into the frame of the car 3 and properly braced, so as to givethem sufficient strength, are the posts 4 4 4 4. The posts in the center of the frame are made extra heavy and serve' for both the hoppers on either side of them.

On the interior of the posts 4 4 4 4 are pivoted pulleys 12 12 12 12. the frame 3 are journaled t-he shafts 13 13, and upon these shafts are keyed the drums 14 14 14 14. lo these drums are secured one end of the chains 15 15 15 15, the other end of which is secured to the hopper. Said chains pass up from the drums over the pulleys 12 12 and down again and are attached to the hopper near its lower side, so thatwhen the chains are wound up on the drums and the car raised the bottom of the car may be brought up to the level of the pulleys, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and On the shafts 13 1,3 are also keyed the Worm-Wheels 1G 1 G, which mesh with Worm screws 17 17 on the counter-shaft 18,vvhich is held in journals 19 19, secured to the under side of the frame This shaft is of course at right angles to the shafts 13 13. Both ends of the shaft 19 extend beyond the carframe and are squared to receive a handle or hann dles, 20, so that the hopper may be raised from either or both sides at once, as desired. This hoisting mechanism may be altered at pleasure, as it forms no essential part of myinven tion.

Fig. 5 'illustrates a suitable form of gate to open and close the outlet of the hopper. It consists'of a frame, 21, in which a sliding gate, 22, is fitted. kIn one end of the frame is set a screw, 23, provided with collars 24 24, which maintain it in a stationary position relative to In the interiorof IOO the frame, except that it may turn in a hole through which it passes. On the end of the gate is secured a nut, 25, which fits the screw 23 and serves to draw the gate back and forth as the screw is turned.

If the Weight of the hopper when loaded is too great to admit of the worm being easily turned, a pair of gears may be provided, as shown in Figs. l and 2, 28 being a larger gear keyed to the counter-shaft 18, and 29 a smaller one turning on a stud secured to the frame The latter gear is turned by the handle 20, and at the expense of speed greater power is secured.

The operation of the device is as follows: IVhen the car is to be loaded with coal or grain, achute is introduced through the opening 27 and the hopper filled. The car is then ready for shipment. YVhen the car is to be unloaded, if coal can be dumped from it by dropping it straight down, this may be done in the usual way by simply openiugthe gate 22; but if, as is often the case, it is desirable to unload coal into carts at the side of the track, the hopper must be raised by operating the hoistingmechanisin and then placing the chute so as to deliver the coal or grain at any desirable pointif coal, into a cart, or, if grain, into a ship or elevator.

I am aware that horse-carts the bodies of which are made'independent of the runninggear frame have been used, and I do not de- Sire to claim anything relating thereto. My invention appertains exclusively tothe transportation of grain and coal on railroads.

What I claim as new is- In a freight-car for railroads, the combination of a car having a hopper-bottom and gate at the apex thereof, and provided with a cover, and having a door suiciently high in the side to permit the car to be loaded by a chute and filled while the door is open, and an independent car-frame provided with trucks, and mechanism connected to the car-body and the carframe for raising and lowering said car-body, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of February, 1889.

CHARLES MACKA LL.

Test:

FELIX R. SULLIVAN, C. C. POULTNEY. 

